West Brom were linked to an array of striking options before finally clinching Karlan Grant on the eve of the domestic deadline, and they can count their lucky stars that they didn't secure one name.

Luke Dowling's connection with former club, Watford, brought about links to their forward and captain, Troy Deeney.

According to Sky Sports back in August, the Baggies were interested in bringing the 32-year-old powerhouse to the Hawthorns as Slaven Bilic looked for further top-flight experience in attack.

Deeney has that in abundance having featured 163 times in the Premier League, scoring a total of 47 goals and providing 21 assists, as per Transfermarkt.

Since the summer window, the veteran forward has only played 85 minutes in the league for the Hornets, and has failed to score, so the decision to not sign him is now looking every bit like a masterstroke - or at least a massive bullet dodged.

Even more so when you consider the wages he's on at Vicarage Road.

It's thought that the Watford skipper is earning around £65k-per-week in north London, via Spotrac, which puts him as their second-highest earner behind Andre Gray, another player that Albion were linked with throughout the summer.

Whether the move for Deeney would have been a loan or a permanent deal very much remains to be seen, but with extortionate wages like that, they can be glad that Dowling didn't take the risk in signing him.

Only Charlie Austin (£70k-per-week) is on more at West Brom, and you only have to look at how that has gone since his £4m arrival last year.

In the past, Deeney has been lauded as a "real handful" as well as a "great leader," so there's always a chance he was going to offer something different - that much some Baggies fans already know after terrorising Alan Pardew's side back in 2018.

However, it would've been a massive financial gamble and that's just something Albion cannot afford under the penny-pinching Guochuan Lai. They, perhaps, got away with one here.

AND in other news, West Brom heading for another disaster if they sign flop Pulis once slammed as a "disappointment"...